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| - A certain person insisted we come here despite the touristyness and the fact that, living in NY, I feel we can have all manner of great Jewish deli meat anytime.
I hate to admit it, but Schwartz's very-hyped smoked meat* sandwich was delicious. Juicy and never tough, just the right amount of fat speckled with beautiful cracked peppercorns... $6 is actually mighty reasonable for this sandwich, compact but mounded like a pyramid. This was definitely a tourist destination that DELIVERED. (not literally)
*FYI: "Smoked meat" is simply Montrealers' term for pastrami, but there was nothing pastrami-like about it. It was corned beef through and through! Which is a good thing since I looooove corned beef and usually find pastrami just a bit too salty/dry. (Pastrami is corned beef that has been smoked.)
Just a few notes on the touristyness: We waddled into the restaurant shortly past noon. Every single one of the tightly packed tables was full. A waiter was cycling through languages at his table: "English? Francais? Espanol?" We were told that to order to-go, you go to the shop next door. I couldn't wait to get out of there.
The shop next door is MUCH quieter, AND it has seating! Why were people in the restaurant at all??? We got our food in under a minute, ate it in peace in the mostly-empty sunny windowed cafe space toward the back, and even had the leisure to gaze at their prepared food items - meat, slaw, souvenir-y items...
When we left, there appeared to be a tour bus lineup outside the restaurant space's door. 30 people stomping in the cold. Why?? Is table service integral to the sandwich experience? Maybe I missed out? My stomach doesn't think so...
I believe their card minimum is $10.
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